Although the end of the 2014 World Series means the official end of baseball season, Wednesday's finale brings about the beginning of plenty of excitement and drama to the north side of Chicago. Sure, the Chicago Cubs have been done playing baseball for over a month. But arguably the most important time of the year thus far is about to begin.
Immediately following the conclusion of the World Series, the free-agent craze officially began. The Cubs were already expected to make a big splash in the free agency during the upcoming offseason, but the recent acquisition of former Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon has ...

There was no way the Theo Epstein regime was going to sit on its hands with bait in its pockets and a big fish in the water.
Joe Maddon—that big fish—will be announced as the Cubs' new manager at a 2 p.m. press conference scheduled for Monday.
Maddon, a two-time AL Manager of the Year, was too tempting not to go after. Epstein even said as much on Friday to Bob Nightengale of USA Today:
The #Cubs offered Renteria another job in the organization, and he declined. Theo Epstein said they decided Maddon was too good to pass up.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October ...

The Chicago Cubs have been rebuilding for years, and this offseason may be the time that the organization decides to make a run at getting back to the postseason.
Although the Cubs finished in last place in the National League Central, they showed some promising signs in the second half of the season. Some of their young players came up and made some noise in the big leagues.
Chicago's starting rotation has some pieces in place, and the bullpen is decent. With young position players coming up and making an impact, the offense may not be too far away. This team could ...

Fans of the Chicago Cubs aren't familiar with their team buying at the deadline in recent memory, but they really could be doing that either this offseason or at the trade deadline. Based on the arrival of several top hitting prospects, the team seems to be a couple of pieces away from becoming pretty competitive.
At both the major and minor league level, the Cubs have assets they'd either like to move or that are very movable if they're willing. Obviously, if they decide to move minor league assets, they will be looking for major league talent in return. Depending on ...

Despite not fielding a winning team since 2009, Chicago Cubs fans are excited about their team's future. Most of this excitement comes not from the play at the major league level but rather from the wealth of talent throughout the Cubs minor league system, topped off with two of the top 10 prospects in all of baseball.
The team has deep talent at each position, especially in the infield, giving the Cubs some leeway as to which prospects could be traded to boost the franchise even more.
The Cubs have quite a few middle infielders who could play either second base or ...

Cubs president Theo Epstein says of the club, "Between this offseason, next year's trade deadline, and next offseason, we will add impact talent from outside the organization." Most of the impact talent he's referring to is going to come in the way of pitching given the fact that the team has a plethora of young hitting talent in the minor leagues or early in their major league careers.
This offseason and next offseason provide a prime possibility for the Cubs to add top pitching talent, as many aces and No. 2 starters are becoming free agents in the winter. While the ...

The 2014 Chicago Cubs season has officially come to an end with few surprises throughout the season.
The team finished in last place, the team's top prospects progressed through the ranks and Wrigley Field has begun its transformation into a modern ballpark.
Believe it or not, that's exactly what the Cubs had written up for 2014.
The Cubs finished at 73-89, good for last place in the NL Central. As the playoffs continue to heat up, the Cubs turn their focus to the 2015 season. But before the first pitch is thrown on April 6, the Cubs have many questions and topics to ...

The winds of change are blowing on the north side of the Windy City as president Theo Epstein has changed his tune from urging patience on the part of Chicago Cubs season-ticket holders to letting fans know the team plans to compete for the NL Central title next season. He's changed his tune because the rebuild is almost complete and the Cubs should be ready to compete again.
In such an important transition year, the Cubs' front office has several key decisions to make. Whether or not they make the right decisions could be the difference between another disappointing year of baseball ...

Shortly after the Ricketts family purchased the Chicago Cubs for $845 million in 2009, they made a bold promise to Cubs fans: the team would win a World Series under their ownership.
The Ricketts reiterated that promise recently, stating that the proposed renovations of Wrigley Field would bring the team a World Series championship because of improved facilities and resources for the Cubs.
As the season winds to a close, Cubs fans are focusing more on the future of the Cubs than the 2014 campaign. Though the lovable losers still aren't expected to be contenders until a year or two from now, many ...

The Chicago Cubs took a major step forward in 2014. Not only by improving on the field but also by developing most of their major prospects to the point of getting called up at some point in 2015.
Excitement is in the air as even the ever-conservative team president Theo Epstein has said that the team can win the National League Central division next season.
This may not seem like a significant quote since most presidents and general managers should believe their teams are capable of winning the division, but this actually might be the most significant statement Epstein has made about ...